A two-event process for the explosive detonation of a fuel-air mixture in the atmosphere consists of, first, dispersing the fuel, and second, detonating the fuel-air dispersed mixture. Presently, the method of initiating an unconfined fuel-air cloud is by means of a solid explosive charge.
The mechanism of fuel-air explosion includes primary detonation in the fuel-air explosive system to disperse the fuel into the surrounding atmosphere. The primary detonation in this manner forms a cloud of atomized fuel and generates a strong primary air shock. The oxygen carried into the cloud by air entrainment reacts instantly with the fuel, and increases the cloud's momentum, thereby generating the fuel-air explosive effect.
Several approaches to reduce a two-event process for the explosive detonation of a fuel-air mixture to a single-event process have been investigated. One single-event process investigated has been directed to initiation of detonation by free radicals (gaseous fluorine, bromine/chlorine trifluoride, etc.) as accelerator located in the midst of a hydrocarbon-air mixture, trimethylaluminum subjected to pulsed ultraviolet and continuous ultraviolet light.
A single-event process which simultaneously disperses a fuel-catalyst mixture to achieve an unconfined fuel-air cloud explosion following a dispersion and induction period would be advantageous over previously investigated processes.
An object of this invention is to provide a single-event process for dispersing and detonating a fuel-catalyst mixture to achieve an unconfined fuel-air cloud explosion.
Another object of this invention is to provide a single-event process for dispersing and detonating a fuel-catalyst mixture to achieve an unconfined fuel-air cloud explosion following a controlled induction period which is the time from the time of dispersion to the time of explosion that is controlled by the amount of catalyst dispersed in the fuel-air cloud.